Police officers are constantly exposed to stressful situations, which increases their vulnerability to burnout syndrome, negatively affecting their mental and physical health. Although emotional intelligence has been identified as a psychological protective factor against burnout, research in police contexts in Latin America remains limited. Therefore, the present study aims to evaluate the predictive role of emotional intelligence on burnout syndrome in Peruvian police officers. The sample consisted of 380 male officers from the Peruvian National Police, aged between 22 and 60 years (M = 35.92; SD = 10.49), selected through non-probabilistic purposive sampling. Two instruments were used: the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey and the Brief Measure of Emotional Intelligence to assess emotional intelligence. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was applied. The model showed adequate fit indices (CFI = .95; TLI = .95; RMSEA = .05; SRMR = .08), explaining 50% of the variance in burnout syndrome. The intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions did not predict burnout syndrome, while stress management (β = -.24, p p p < .001) were statistically significant predictors. This study provides the first empirical evidence in Latin America on the protective role of emotional intelligence dimensions against burnout syndrome in Peruvian police officers. It is recommended to develop emotional training programs focused on stress management and mood regulation to prevent burnout syndrome and promote psychological well-being among police personnel.
Carire-Quispe et al. (Fri,) studied this question.